About Us

Any woman suffering from domestic abuse must contend with enormous difficulties in escaping an ‎abusive relationship. These difficulties are even more daunting for orthodox women. Until Bat Melech was established, battered Orthodox women had nowhere to turn to for help.

For a number of ‎reasons, Orthodox women in abusive relationships do not take advantage of the social services ‎provided for abused women. First, they fear the stigma associated generally with welfare services in ‎the Orthodox community. Second, they distrust non-religious authorities; the Orthodox community ‎generally does not look kindly on members who seek outside help for domestic problems.

Many Orthodox women fear that ‎admitting openly that their husbands beat them will negatively impact the religious community’s ‎perception of their families.

Bat Melech is the only organization in Israel to respond to this urgent need by providing ‎apartments that serve as shelters for abused Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox women.

Today, Bat Melech runs a network of shelters and safe havens that provide social, financial, emotional, and legal assistance to woman and their children, who are victims of domestic violence.